The assessment
If, after talking to you about the problems you and your family are experiencing, the social worker decides that your child may be a ‘Child in Need’, they will carry out an assessment. This means they will consider your child’s situation in more detail. Issues they may look at are:
- Your child’s physical, emotional and developmental needs.
- To what extent can you meet these needs, including your capacity to respond appropriately to them.
- The family history and factors that have impacted your child, yourself or the wider family, which may include considering parental separation, bereavement, domestic violence or substance misuse within the home.
- What has been tried before, including considering what support is in place and what the barriers are that prevent it from being effective.
- Whether there are any other children that need to be considered in the assessment.
- Your child’s extended family situation and support system.
- Environmental factors including housing and your financial situation and whether there are benefits you are eligible for and not claiming.
At Family Lives, we hear a lot from parents who are worried about contacting Social services, particularly if they feel they are going to be judged. Social work is bound by a Code of Ethics, meaning social workers must promote dignity, respect people’s values, culture and beliefs and understand people’s experiences without judgement or blame. They will need to consider factors like domestic abuse, poverty and housing in the assessment to understand the impact it has had on the family, as your child’s issues cannot be considered in isolation.
Also, it is important to remember that by seeking support you are taking active and positive steps to try and help your child and meet their needs, and this positive action should be taken into consideration. Another common concern for parents is they feel they are putting their child at risk of being taken away from them and placed into care. Local Authorities have a duty to promote children’s upbringing by their families, so long as this is consistent with their duty to safeguard and protect the child. Family Rights Group offer a guide with tips for working with a social worker which you might find helpful.
The assessment should not usually take more than 45 working days from the point of referral, but urgent and/or clearly needed practical help can be provided whilst the fuller assessment is going on, so you should make sure the social worker knows about practical needs that are causing stress.
You and your child should expect to be fully involved in the assessment and it is likely they will ask to speak with your child alone to gather their views. The assessment will also consider the views of all parents, other relevant family members and professionals to gain their perspectives and ensure a collaborative and co-ordinated approach.
The assessment process will vary according to your Local Authority’s threshold documents and protocol for assessment, however, it will be underpinned by statutory government guidance, which for England includes ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’. It should take a balanced approach that considers your child’s needs, the concerns around the situation and what is working well in the family.
There is a legal definition of ‘a child in need’ on which social workers have to base their decision, but there are also local thresholds to decide about priorities and these will vary between Local Authorities. It will be helpful to ask the social worker involved with your child for a copy of the threshold documents and the assessment procedure which is followed in your area so that you know what to expect and how to ask for the decision to be reviewed if you disagree with it.
By the end of the assessment they should have a clearer picture of your child’s situation and will have assessed whether your child is ‘in need’. You should ask them to give you a written note about the decision (especially if they have decided your child is not ‘in need’ and they are not going to be able to help) and how they reached a decision. If you are not happy with the decision you should ask what you can do to get it reviewed. If the decision is that your child is eligible for ‘child in need’ services and support, the social worker will then go through with you the next steps and what help and support will be given to you and your child.